Genealogy

I wouldn't say genealogy is a hobby of mine, but my interest has grown over the years. My parents have gone to high school reunions, several of the annual gatherings of alumni from New York City Chinese School, and attended a conference on Chinese in/from the South (my mom is from Arkansas).

I blogged about the time we went for a visit to Tai Shan, my father's ancestral village and other places during my parent's visit in 2006. My dad's ancestral home was built in the diao lou watchtower style that was meant to keep a lookout for bandits. Click to see the rest of the photos

In 2012, the 1940 census data was released free online for a time and I was able to find my maternal grandparents listed along with my oldest aunt and mom. My younger aunt and uncle had not been born yet. 

In this close-up screen shot, it shows rent was $10.00 a month, my grandfather was 30 years old, and had completed 7th grade as his highest level of education. My grandmother was 27, and completed 6th grade. In another part of the form (in another photo I have) it was reported my grandfather was "at work for pay" and worked 72 hours that week. My grandmother "engaged in home housework." My grandfather owned a general store in Brickeys, Arkansas at the time selling various merchandise and foodstuff. 

My mom and family, circa 1945

When I was younger, my mom shared what she knew of her parents immigration to the U.S. via Seattle and stories about growing up in the store. She had only been once to her mother's village in the 1950s and we did not get a chance to go look for it in 2006 when we found my dad's ancestral village.

I recently found a website called Chinese Exclusion Files with a blog started by a volunteer at the National Archives in Seattle and requested a search for information on my maternal grandparents who arrived in the U.S. during the time of the Exclusion Act when it was difficult and time consuming to enter and leave the country due to background checks.

Files were found for both grandparents with more than 50 pages of various documents in each file. There were many pages of transcribed interview/interrogation, reports of investigations and requests from the authorities for confirmation of information.

It was neat to read through it all to glean an idea of their experience when immigrating to compile this information to write a family history to share with descendants of my grandfather. Following are a few screenshots from documents in the files. 

my grandfather from Certificate of ID issued on arrival in 1923

from re-entry permit issued 1930

notarized affidavit for grandma's visa application 1936

my grandmother and aunt on a document from the American Consulate HK granting a visa, 1936

The search for information for my dad's side of the family has been tougher because his grandparents are the ones that immigrated, and their last name, Lee, is an English name as well as Chinese.

Both his parents were both born on the east coast, father in Watertown, NY, and mother in Worcester, MA. As far as I know, they were sent back to China for schooling (from a port unknown) and returned to America to run a laundry business in New York City. I don't know if they married in China or in the U.S.

I did not find 1940 census data online since I didn't have an exact address in Brooklyn, where my dad was born and where they were living at the time. Perhaps I will be able to find it when the 1950 census is released in a few years. Until then, here's a few photos of my paternal grandparents, dad, and my aunt. 

circa 1935 shortly after marriage

1940s

my dad and oldest aunt, early 1940s

my dad, age 10, 1949